Insulator-mounting clip



July 31, 1956 J. N. BINNS ETAL 2,756,958

INSULATOR-MOUNTING CLIP Filed May 25 1951 E INVENTORS lw] JA%K AN. BINNS L TH M s E DUG E 24 2232 y ALVIN F. ALT

m umy United States Patent'O INSULATOR-MOUNTING CLIP Jack N. Binns and Thomas E. Dugle, Cincinnati, and Alvin F. Alt, Deer Park, Ohio, assignors to Planet Products Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 25, 1951, Serial No. 228,202

Claims. (Cl. 248-222) This invention relates to an insulator-mounting clip and is an improvement over the insulator mounting disclosed in our co-pending patent application Serial No. 122,022, filed October 18, 1949, now Patent 2,609,418, September 2, 1952.

An object of the invention is to provide a one-piece, inexpensive, highly eflicient insulator-mounting clip which is constructed and arranged to be snapped onto a support member to which it may be securely though releasably anchored incident to the hand mounting of an insulator thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulator-mounting clip which includes inherent anti-loosening characteristics which serve to efiectively preclude the clip from becoming accidentally or unintentionally loosened from a support member such as, by way of example, by reason of changing load conditions on the clip induced by temperature fluctuations, vibrations, or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip which may be quickly secured to a support member by an operator without requiring the use of any tools whatsoever.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a clip to which an operator may quickly secure an insulator without requiring the use of any tools whatsoever, thereby completing the insulator mounting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulator-mounting clip which is adapted to be secured to support members of angular as well as T-shape.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an insulator-mounting clip which may be fabricated from a single strip of resilient material using modern mass production and techniques.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip onto which a precast, one-piece commercially available insulator may be threadably mounted wherein the insulator itself is utilized to anchor the clip to a supporting member.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an insulator-clip assembly whereby the insulator supported thereon is under tension at all times, being pre-loaded by reason of the inherent resiliency of portions of the clip. In this manner undesired, accidental or unintentional loosening of the insulator and clip is simply though efiectively prevented.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an insulator-mounting clip embodying the teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the clip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of an insulator-clip assembly associated with a support member of the angular type.

Fig. 4 is a top end view of the assembly of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 wherein the insulatorclip assembly has been mounted to an angular support 2,7 56,958 Patented July 31, 1956 member the webs of which are longer than those of the support member illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 6 is an end view similar to Fig. 4 but wherein the insulator-assembly has been secured to a T-shaped mounting member.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a modified form of the clip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a half side view of another modified form of the clip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a side view of a modification of the clip of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is an end view of the clip of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an end view of an angular type support member illustrating the first step in the process of mounting a clip thereto.

With reference now to the figures, it will be noted that the clip may be fabricated from a single strip of resilient material formed, by suitable means, whereby to provide, generally speaking, a central threaded shank portion 20 from which a pair of outwardly divergent arms 22 project having free outer ends which terminate in in-turned hool like portions 24.

in the preferred embodiment of the invention the upper end of the shank portion is closed as at 26, and threads 28 are provided in the shank incident to its formation. An open throat 39 is provided in the shank remote from its closed end 26, said throat being defined by a pair of laterally spaced, arcuate side elements 32 which are turned outwardly at the lower end of the shank portion in a plane at substantial right angles with the axial center of shank 20 for providing a pair of resilient shoulders 34. Arms 22 are formed integral with the outer edges 36 of shoulders 34 from which they project outwardly and downwardly providing a pair of divergent arms.

If desired, those portions of arms 22 adjacent hook portions 24 may be dimpled or provided with rib-like portions as at 38 for increasing the rigidity of the arms adjacent their free outer ends.

With reference now to Fig. 11, the numeral 49 denotes generally an angular type support member comprising a pair of webs 42, each terminating in end edges 44 located remote from apex 46.

The clip may be quickly associated with such a sup port member by positioning arms 22 whereby the hooklike end portions 24 will contact and then slidably engage the outer faces 48 of webs 42 incident to the application of an axial force indicated by the headed arrow 5% applied to the end of shank 20. The application of such a force will cause the hook-like portions 24 to slide downwardly over outer faces 48 of the support member for thereby enabling the hook members to snap over outer ends 44 and for disposing apex 46 in throat 30 of the shank.

The clip, having thus been positioned onto the support ing member, may be securely though releasably anchored thereto by means of a commercially available insulator denoted generally by the numeral 60. The insulator may include a body portion 62, a wire receptive portion 64, a lower edge 66 and an internally threaded bore, not illustrated, dimensioned to threadably engage shank 20 of the clip.

When the insulator is initially threaded onto shank 20, it will be drawn axially thereon for disposing its lower edge 66 in contacting relationship with apex 46 of the support member. Further turning or tightening of the insulator on shank 20 will result in the application of a tensile stress to arms 22 and the concurrent temporary fiexing or deformation of shoulder portions 34. In this manner the clip is securely though releasably fastened to the support member and the insulator and arms 22 are subjected to a continuous tensile stress by reason of the 3 elastic or resilient characteristics of the temporarily deformed shoulders 34 which normally seek to return to their original non-stressed condition.

In other words, shoulders 34 enable the insulator to be preloaded whereby temperature changes which affect the overall length of arms 22 will not result in undesired, unintentional, or accidental loosening of the clip, nor will vibration loosen the insulator from the shank. In this connection it should be noted that most insulator mounting means fail their intended purpose because of looseness caused by the adverse eflects of temperattu'e and climatic conditions coupled with the loosening etlect resulting from vibrations induced in the insulator and clip by wind, rain, sleet, animals and other media which cause he wires supported by the insulators to move or vibrate.

With reference now to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the clip may be associated with T-shaped support members as Well as with the angular shaped support members illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 11. in Fig. 6 the numeral 146 denotes an apex receivable within throat 38 of shank 2t and against which apex lower edge 66 of the insulator abuts. The numerals 1144 indicate the outer ends of webs 142, which outer ends are overlappingly engaged by hooklike portions 24 of the clip.

It will be observed that our insulator-mounting clip may be used with any type of a support member which includes a pair of laterally spaced end edges, such as 44 and 1M- and an apex as 46 or 146 located at substantial right angles to a line passing through said end edges, thereby greatly enhancing its utility.

In Fig. 7 the numeral '76 indicates a cut-out area of the throat-defining portions of elements 32 at their intersection with shoulders 34, said cut-out portions serving to widen throat 30 without adversely affecting the structural characteristics of the clip.

in Fig. 8 the numeral 72 represents an up-turned corner edge for accomplishing a purpose similar to that effected by reason of cut-out portions 78 of Fig. 7.

The clip illustrated in Figs. 9 and 1t) differ from the clip of Fig. 1 in that it does not have a shoulder 34 but is provided with an elongated dimpled shoulder portion intermediate the length of arms 22 for providing the desired resiliency to arms 22 instead of providing the resiliency by means of shoulders 34 as in the clip of Figs. 1 through 8 and 11.

A comparison of Figs. 4 and will illustrate how effectively our clip may be adapted to various size support members, it being noted that the longer webs merely result in apex extending further into throat 3i and lower edge 66 of the insulator being spaced farther from the clip shoulders 34-.

From the foregoing it will be noted that we have thus provided a simple, highly effective, one-piece insulatormounting clip onto which a one-piece insulator may be mounted for simultaneously anchoring the clip to a support member. The clip may be snapped onto its support member and an insulator secured to the clip and the in sulator-clip assembly securely though releasably anchored to the support member without the use of any tools whatsoever, thereby distinguishing our clip from all those of which we have knowledge, including the multielement devices disclosed in the following U. S, patents: A. F. Toelke, Patent No. 2,438,237; R. M. Wilson, Patent No. 2,468,907; 0. W. Tuepker, Patent No. 2,537,719; W. H. Maack, l-atent No. 2,386,129; H. M. Behlmann, Patent No. 2,437,344; S. T. Hoffman, Patent No. 2,278,852.

Shoulders 34 and the elongated dimpled portions 94 comprise in effect predetermined resilient areas of flexure in that they define those portions of the clip which will be temporarily distorted incident to the application of tensile stresses to and between the shank and free ends of arms 22. The term temporarily distorted as used herein and in the claims in describing elements 34 and 90 is used in the sense that these elements are resilient and unless stressed beyond their elastic limit will return to their original condition as, if and when the tension to which they are subjected, is released.

What is claimed is:

l. A one-piece resilient insulator mounting clip of the snap-on type comprising a central threaded portion, a pair of arms diverging outwardly from the threaded portion and being transversely curved throughout the major portion of their length, the arms terminating in inwardly ex tending hook-like members and having transverse resilient areas of tlexure intermediate the threaded portion and the ends thereof, and each arm being provided with longitudinally extending strengthening rib-like portions adjacent the ends of the arms and extending partially into the formation of the hook-like members.

2. A. clip as defined in claim 1 in which the threaded portion is closed at the upper end thereof and comprises a pair of laterally spaced opposed arcuate side elements spaced from each other adjacent the juncture of the threaded portion and the arms to provide a throat.

3. A clip as defined in claim 2 in which the juncture between each of the opposed arcuate side elements and the arms comprises an outwardly extending shoulder pro viding the transverse resilient area of flexure on each arm.

4. A clip as defined in claim 2 in which the outwardly diverging arms are continuations of the arcuate side elements with the transverse area of flexure being intermediate the length of the arms.

5. A one-piece resilient insulator mounting clip of the snap-on type for use with a support member of the type which includes a pair of laterally spaced end edges and an apex at substantially right angles to a line through the end edges, comprising a central threaded shank portion, a pair of arms diverging outwardly from the threaded portion and being transversely curved throughout the major portion of their length, the arms terminating in inwardly extending hook-like members and having transverse resilient areas of flexure intermediate the threaded portion and the ends thereof, the arms adapted to be flexed outwardly for disposing the end edges of the support membar in the hook-like members and disposing the apex of the support in the threaded portion, the threaded portion being adapted to threadingly receive an insulator thereon with the lower end thereof toward the arms whereby threading the insulator onto the threaded portion will draw its lower edge into contacting relationship with the apex of the support member and upon further threading of the insulator onto the threaded portion will shift the threaded portion outwardly of the apex and subject the arms to a tensile stress for securely though releasably fastening the clip to the support member, and each arm being provided with longitudinally extending strengthenin." rib-like portions adjacent the ends of the arms and extending partially into the formation of the hook-like members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,022,121 Boyland Apr. 2, 1912 1,196,273 Peirce Aug. 29, 1916 1,219,746 Kepler Mar. 20, 1917 1,848,235 Wiley Mar. 8, 1932 2,409,491 Johnson Oct. 15, 1946 2,437,344 Behlmann Mar. 9, 1948 2,438,237 Toelke Mar. 23, 1948 2,609,418 inns et a1. Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 541,908 Great Britain Dec. 17, 1941 

